2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Renaissance

Deep ruby. Exotic, oak-spiced aromas of candied red and dark berries, with a suave floral quality adding complexity. Deeply concentrated but quite energetic, offering powerful black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and a velour-like texture. Dusty tannins add grip to a long, penetrating finish that closes on a note of bitter cherry.

In contrast, the 2010 Domaine de Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Renaissance - a 60/40 blend of Grenache and Mourvedre - is aged all in barrel, with the Grenache seeing only neutral oak and the Mourvedre aged all in new oak. Showing spectacularly, it offers a thrilling array of blackberry, cassis, wild herbs, flowers, and roasted meats, with only a hint of graphite showing from its stint in barrel. Every bit as good on the palate, with brilliant freshness, fantastic purity, and a powerful, yet focused overall mouth-feel, this knockout offering needs a solid 4-6 years of bottle age, and will have upwards of two decades of overall longevity.